


Lights, Camera, Gems!

by Dark_Mage_of_Ylisse, Red_Maplewolf



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: F/F, F/M, Multi, Stripper peridot, jasmuth, lapidot - Freeform, malexandrite, pearlmethyst - Freeform, rupphire
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-15
Updated: 2018-11-09
Packaged: 2019-03-18 17:16:07
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,056
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13686180
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dark_Mage_of_Ylisse/pseuds/Dark_Mage_of_Ylisse, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Red_Maplewolf/pseuds/Red_Maplewolf
Summary: A world where Steven Universe is not an animated series, but a live action one, following the lives of the actors as they find their places in a beautiful, wonderful, and insane world.





	1. Mirror Gem

**Author's Note:**

> Just a bit of a warning, there is an appearance from stripper peri in this chapter, enjoy

Steven ran through the streets, moving quickly to the side or ducking down a bit to make his way through the crowded streets quickly. He cursed the morning rush, he didn’t want to be late, he had never been late, he definitely did not want to start today.

He enjoyed his job, it was his first real job and he loved it. He got to meet so many people and it was fun working with them.

Steven ran into the studio, dodging people as they greeted him, tossing ‘hi’ and ‘hello’ over his shoulder as he ran to the set. Panting as he slowed to a stop, grabbing a water bottle off of the snack table and gulping it down quickly.

“Steven!” the director, Rebecca Sugar, called to him as she walked over. “You were nearly late, we were starting to get worried.”

“I know I’m sorry, I told mom and dad to go because I needed to shower,” Steven explained, blushing from a mixture of embarrassment of almost being late and the burning summer sunshine outside.

“Alright, we were just getting worried, we’re going to start filming in a few minutes so please help yourself to whatever you need.” Ms Sugar said with a gentle smile. “We moved the snack table again though, over near the break room so nothing melts in the sun. That and Pearl brought in a bigger table for us all.”

Steven tilted his head a little. “Really? That’s so sweet of her! Where are the others? I kinda wanna see them before we begin.”

It seemed his question was answered when he heard Amethyst call to him, waving him over. “Hey Steven! We were worried for you, I mean for a second there it uh… Kinda looked like you were gonna be late.” The purple haired girl told him. “But hey, I’m super happy you’re not!” She gave him a huge grin, her soft hair falling around her shoulders in waves, her plush skin painted purple, combined with the nice form-fitting costume to make the short woman all covered in a dark purple.

She had grown her hair out more for this role, and had admitted to liking it longer. Steven himself was just happy he didn’t have to wear a bald cap or something. Then, Ms Sugar called for silence, and the cast made their way to their places on the set of the Temple.

In that moment, Steven felt alive. Rebecca stood proudly in her spot, smiling at them. “Lights, camera, GEMS!”

It was funny, getting to pretend not to know what school was. I was even stranger just talking into a fake phone, not getting any real response. Actually… The whole set was weird, but at least the cozy bed where he could hang out when they weren’t recording was nice and comfy.

Dragging all the ‘school stuff’ props out had been a little fun, Garnet had done a lot of the heavy lifting, as she was quite strong. They made sure to pile them up safely, Pearl joining him on the set now. The magic on the show was all CGI, with the mirror having to be tossed to him.

Steven… May or may not have fumbled it a few times, Pearl starting to snicker after the 3rd time. The young boy looked over at the others. “I’m sorry!” He told them bashfully, starting to laugh with her.

He had his lines memorized and was doing his best not to flub his words by accident, which happened more often than he liked, but at least everyone got a good laugh out of each others mistakes, and it made for good bloopers.

Running around talking to the mirror all day was pretty fun, the special effects guys made funny videos show up on the mirror during breaks and weird voice clips to make him laugh. Ms Sugar made sure they all got a lot of breaks, and plenty of food and water, she was a nice boss, very sweet, as her name implied.

The argument was very stressful, it was part of the script but arguments and conflict during a scene was always stressful, they often broke in the middle of a scene so the child actors like himself could take a break.

When the mirror started playing clips of him screaming the word ‘no’ it put him on edge, Garnet reaching for the mirror, as per the script’s instructions, added to his growing fear and slight confusion, he almost forgot his line.

“It wants to be with me!”

He flung his hand out, he was meant to miss Garnet, a fake hit as the script told him. His eyes widened when his hand made contact with Garnet’s face, slapping her glasses off her face as Amethyst and Pearl gasped in the background.

“Cut!” Ms Sugar yelled as Steven teared up.

Steven launched forward, clinging to Garnet’s waist as he quickly turned into a blubbering mess. His tears were soaking into her outfit but he couldn’t stop.

“I’m so sorry Garnet! I didn’t mean it!” He cried, clinging to her as she wrapped her arms around him carefully, shushing him quietly.

“It’s ok Steven, I’m fine.” Garnet reassured quietly, stroking the crying boy’s back gently.

“Are you sure you’re ok Garnet, that looked painful,” Pearl fussed, going over to the tall woman quickly, Amethyst following close behind.

“I’m alright, but It’s time for a break, Steven needs to calm down,” Garnet replied, picking up the small boy and heading for one of the couches.

Steven felt so bad about hitting Garnet, it had been an accident but he felt so guilty. He sniffled, looking up at her quietly, she smiled down at him calmly.

“I’m ok Steven, I promise, it was just an accident,” she reassured, ruffling his hair affectionately as he giggled.

“I’m still really sorry Garnet,” he apologised, his voice shaking slightly as she offered him a cup of water.

“It’s fine Steven. Drink up.” She smiled at him.

They sat like that for a while before Ms Sugar came over. “Are you two ok?” she asked, kneeling down to be eye level with Steven as he sat in Garnet’s lap.

“We’re ok, right Steven?” Garnet asked, ruffling his hair once more as he nodded, a large grin spreading across his face.

“Are you ready to start shooting again or do you need more time?” Ms Sugar asked.

“No, I’m ok,” Steven said, hopping off Garnet’s lap and smiling up at the taller women.

They smiled at him as he ran back to his place, picking up the discarded mirror which he had dropped when he hugged Garnet. Ms Sugar returned to her area behind the camera while Garnet took her place in front of Steven, leaving her glasses off to keep the effect of the scene as she made an angry face at him.

It scared him for a second, he gave a convincing noise of fear and ran out of the door on the set and down the fake stairs. “I’m sorry!”

He made his way around the back of the set, heading over to the snack table as Garnet, Amethyst and Pearl finished their lines for the scene. He grabbed a cup of soda and places a few chips onto a small plate as he began to read over his script once more.

The episode they were filming was the debut episode of a new gem, Lapis Lazuli, they had all known Ms Sugar had been looking for an actress to play the new gem for about a month. They never knew who was cast for a character until the episode they show up.

Ms Sugar loved authentic emotions, everyone had been surprised when she brought an actual lion on set to be his lion companion in the show. The lion had been painted pink but it was still a lion, Pearl almost lost it.

Turned out the lion’s name was Canderance, but everyone called him candy, it was a strange name but he was a very gentle lion. The owner was actually one of the set dressers, he had rescued the sweet lion from poachers and now he’s featured in many movies, he’s just as much of an actor as Steven was himself.

He looked over his script again, just noticing he hadn’t been reading a single word the whole time he had been standing there. He ate his chips absentmindedly, reading over the script as the others took their own breaks.

Soon Ms Sugar called them back for the next scene. Steven hid behind he rock and continued talking to the mirror, he had been doing it for the whole day so it didn’t really seem weird anymore.

A video appeared on the mirror, it wasn’t a mixture of clips of things people have said throughout the day, it was like a cartoon playing out in the mirror, showing him what to do.

He pulled the gem out of the mirror with a little bit of struggle, how had they even stuck the gem on the back? Superglue?

He pulled the gem out, holding the mirror away from him when the glass shattered unexpectedly, startling him in the process. The gem suddenly glowed, floating out of his hand into the air. Steven was always surprised when the crew used advanced technology to simulate magic, but they were using a tech used to summon someone from one place to another. They have used it before when Pearl reformed but it was still amazing to watch.

Light exploded from the gem, taking the form of a person before it solidified, finishing the transport process to bring the other person to the scene suddenly. Her navy blue hair fluffed out, her skirt flowing beautifully before the tech released her and she dropped onto the sand gracelessly.

She fell on her hands and knees in the sand, Steven ran over to her, he did his best to keep up the confused and slightly scared act for his character, but he was really excited to see who had been cast as the new gem.

She turned to look at him, the contacts she was wearing made her eyes glassy, they covered her whole eye, even the pupil, she literally couldn’t see anything. Steven could, his eyes were wide in shock, they had cast Lapis Lazuli as the character of Lapis. Steven had seen her in so many movies, she was his acting idol, and she was the new gem!?

“T-Thank you,” she stuttered.

Steven had to snap himself out of it, they were working, and even if he wanted to squeal at seeing who was playing the new gem he had to keep focused, he could squeal later.

“You d-didn-” Lapis stood shakily, stumbling so convincingly, a small noise escaping her mouth as he caught her hands to steady her, even if he was much shorter than her. “You actually talked to me, you helped me!” she said, standing up on her own, her glassy eyes staring into nothing as she smiled slightly. “It’s Steven. Right?”

Her voice was so soft, so gentle, he couldn’t help be feel at peace around her it was so much unlike her voice in most action movies he had seen her in. He nodded in response to her question with a small noise of confirmation.

“I’m Lapis. Lapis Lazuli,” she introduced, her soft voice calming his nerves. “Are you really a Crystal Gem?” she asked.

“Yeah!” he confirmed, pride in his voice as he said his one worded line.

“But you set me free,”

“But, hm?” Steven made a confused noise, only to be startled by Garnet shouting his name from off-set.

Garnet, Amethyst and Pearl ran onto the set, using transportation tech to summon their weapons into their hands as he got in between them and Lapis, running towards them with a shout of “WAIT!”

“ _You,_ ” Lapis said, her voice taking a chilling tone, making them all look to her as the water behind her started to move, a unsettling feeling washing over the whole area.

“You three knew I was in there.” Lapis accused, a hand made out of water rising up behind her, casting a shadow over the Crystal Gems “and you didn’t do anything.”

“Did you even wonder who I used to BE!?” She accused, slamming the water hand down on Garnet while Pearl and Amethyst scattered to either side, falling into the sand. Amethyst falling onto her butt with a soft groan as Pearl hit the sand and flipped over, landing on her knees and forearms as she looked up.

“Steven run!” Pearl called out.

“What are you doing!?” he asked his voice rising, looking up at the bluenette.

“I’M LAPIS LAZULI! AND YOU CAN’T KEEP ME TRAPPED HERE ANYMORE!” She screamed, her soft and gentle voice disappearing as her voice rose to yell at them.

Steven made a confused noise, looking over to Garnet, Amethyst and Pearl in concern.

“They’re not going to let us leave.” Lapis told him, raising her hand and parting the water before she looked back to him, her glassy eyes unseeing but knowing where he was.

“Leave? Where?” he asked.

“Home.” Lapis said simply.

Steven stuttered out his line, authentic fear actually clouding his thoughts, he could tell the four women noticed but he didn’t want to stop shooting, he didn’t think he would be able to take re-shooting this scene if they stopped now.

Lapis looked down, a heartbroken expression spreading across her face before the water splashed back into place, her expression changing to one of anger. “Fine”

Garnet finally broke free of the water hand, punching the water away with her gauntlets, it soared past Steven and Lapis fast enough to cause wind to run through their hair, shielding their faces from the gust of wind.

Lapis kept her angry expression, her hair flowing wildly around her head, probably whipping her cheeks slightly. “Don’t trust them Steven,” she warned. “Goodbye.” she said, walking towards the water as a large wave sprung up, splashing onto Steven and Garnet, sending them back quite a ways up the beach, Garnet coughing slightly, indicating she might have swallowed some of the water by accident, or got it up her nose, Steven always coughed when he got water up his nose.

Pearl and Amethyst ran over, Pearl hugging Steven tightly as soon as she could reach him. “Steven! Are you ok?” She asked.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” he reassured her. “So that was another gem?” He asked.

Pearl gave a little sigh, responding with a simple yes.

“Steven” Garnet started, “You’re grounded.”

“Cut!” Ms Sugar called out, grinning ear to ear as she went over to them. “Amazing work everyone! That was flawless!” She gushed.

“Thanks Becky,” Amethyst smiled. She looked at her whip for a second before smirking at Pearl “Hey Pearl,” she said, drawing out Pearl’s name for effect.

“Don’t you dare hit me with that thing Amethyst,” Pearl warned, she still remembered before the first episode when they were all given their weapons. Amethyst had taken one look at her weapon and asked “This is a kid’s show right?” then had smirked and cracked it across Pearl’s butt, making the thin woman yelp loudly, everyone had laughed at Amethyst’s antics except Pearl.

“Aw, you’re no fun anymore,” Amethyst whined, putting her weapon back on the weapons rack with a huff.

“I don’t find that fun,” Pearl sighed, placing her own weapon on the rack to be locked up for the night.

They usually only shot one episode a day, Rebecca didn’t want to overwhelm the child actors, even if they said they were fine. They had taken the last week off as it was, the episode where Amethyst’s gem had cracked was too much for Steven, even Amethyst was stressed out after the episode, and Rebecca had declared a break for a good week before they all returned to work.

Pearl herself had gone to see Amethyst during the break, she was a wreck. She had found the smaller woman with all the shades in her house drawn, hiding in her room in a big nest of blankets.

Pearl hadn’t realised the amount of stress the episode had taken on her, but then she remembered Amethyst had to act like she was close to death, her character was literally on death’s door before herself and Garnet came to the rescue.

She had spent the whole day with Amethyst, watching comedies with the smaller woman to cheer her up. Even making home cooked meals for her, and it wasn’t easy, unlike the character she plays, Amethyst was surprisingly picky about what she ate.

Steven smiled at Pearl and Amethyst as they continued their conversation, putting their weapons away properly as they went to the dressing rooms to change out of their outfits.

The soft splashes of water drew his attention back to the set where Lapis was slowly emerging from the water, a look of irritation on her face. Her hair was soaked as were her clothes which were clinging to her body as she made her way off the set.

“Can someone help me get these things out of my eyes? I can’t see anything,” she grumbled as one of the makeup artists walked over.

Steven had figured the glassy eyes were caused by contacts, but not being able to see at all must have been annoying, and doing that whole scene without seeing a thing.

Soon the contacts were out, revealing her stunning blue eyes to the world as she blinked rapidly to re-adjust to the light of the set. “Thank you, that’s much better,” she told the makeup artist, who just smiled and put the contacts away in their cases.

Steven made his way over, excited to get to talk to her in person. He had seen her in so many movies, she was his acting idol and he was nearly shaking with the excitement of meeting her. “Hello,” he greeted.

She looked at him with brilliant blue eyes, a smile gracing her face as she looked down at him. “You’re Steven. Right?” she asked, receiving a nod from the boy in confirmation. “It’s nice to meet you,” She smiled.

He grinned, it might have looked goofy but he didn’t really care. “It's great to meet you too!” He exclaimed happily. “I'm a really big fan!”

Lapis giggled, a snort making it’s way into her laugh. She smiled down at him, her eyes glimmering with amusement “That’s nice to hear, because I'm a fan of you Steven, I loved this show before Rebecca cast me for the role of Lapis Lazuli”

Steven’s eyes widened, his grin widening as well. Lapis was his fan? It was unreal, it was amazing! To think his favourite actress (other than his mom of course) watched the show all the time, that she was his fan? It was amazing!

“Hey Lazuli!” Amethyst greeted, making her way over with Pearl and Garnet. “Nice entrance, now that is the way to introduce a character,” she complimented.

“Thanks,” Lapis replied, turning to look at the other women, her smile still present on her face. “The contacts were annoying, couldn't even see where I was attacking, I didn't hurt any of you did I?” She asked, her shoulders relaxing when they all shook their heads. “That's a relief.”

“We’re heading out for pancakes, we usually do after work, want to join us?” Pearl offered, smiling at the bluenette.

“No thanks, it’s my first time back home in awhile, I need to sort some things out,” Lapis declined, grabbing her bag off the couch.

“That’s fine, some other time then,” Pearl smiled.

“Yeah some other time,” Lapis nodded.

Lapis waved to them before making her way out of the studio. She looked up into the sky of the clear, summer day, smiling as she made her way back towards the city.


	2. Ocean Gem and the Geode Bar

Steven ran excitedly up the road to the studio, a large grin plastered on his face at his excitement for the day. He was going to work with his acting idol again, it was such an honor!

He ran into the building, throwing his backpack into the corner as the cool air conditioning surrounded him. Looking around for Lapis.

“Good morning Steven.” Ms Sugar greeted him, walking over with Lapis close behind, studying her script closely. 

“Good morning!” He chirped.

“So after this episode I never have to wear the contacts again?” Lapis asked, looking at Ms Sugar seriously. Steven remembered her complaining about the lack of eyesight wearing them the previous day.

“That's right, Steven heals you and your eyes go back to normal, no more contacts.” Ms Sugar explained with a smile.

Lapis nodded, heading over to the food table. She avoided the meat section like the plague, bypassing it quickly to make herself a small salad and grabbing some veggies and sweets. 

Steven got into position, smiling at Garnet, Amethyst and Pearl as they prepared to start filming. 

“I’m Grounded?” Steven asked.

“Yes you’re grounded,” Pearl squawked, trying her hardest not to break character.

“You disobeyed an order,” Garnet added, her voice stoic and borderline uncaring.

“Now we’re gonna b-bury you-” Amethyst stopped her line, bursting out laughing. “I’m sorry, it’s too funny!” 

They all broke character, laughing for a moment, Ms Sugar giggling behind the camera. They had some issues shooting that scene but eventually got the job done.

Bloopers happened all the time, with such a diverse cast and comedical lines it was hard not to crack up. Ms Sugar didn’t mind, she said it was part of the fun of filming.

After their lunch break everyone got into position, Steven and Connie climbed onto lion’s back carefully as Greg, Garnet, Pearl and Amethyst got into the van. 

Pearl and Amethyst sat squished against each other in the back seat, Amethyst looking up at Pearl with a evil smirk. “Hey Pearl.”

“What?” she asked, looking at Amethyst as the shorter woman made a kissy face in her direction, making smooching sounds. “Amethyst please be serious.”

Amethyst just grinned before they started the scene.

 

The fight scene had taken several attempts to shoot, Lapis was still getting used to her hydrokinetic gloves, missing her target several times, accidentally dropping the water into little puddles, or letting parts of the tower somewhat fall apart. She had to stay calm and breathe deeply in order for them to work best.

The scene at the top of the water tower only took one take, Steven was still in awe of Lapis’ acting skills, she was just amazing. He was so excited to be working with her, she was so nice and was even joking around with the cast during breaks, or even to make bloopers which the whole crew would laugh at. 

Filming went as usual, but maybe a bit more fun with the new addition to the cast.

 

~~Lapis Lazuli, Beach City, 6:48PM~~

Lapis left the studio, bidding a polite goodbye to the crew and other cast members before she left. Her brown, leather satchel was slung over her shoulder lazily, tapping against her outer thigh with each step she took. 

She felt the need for a drink, she wasn’t usually one for going out drinking after work but she reasoned a shot or two couldn’t hurt. 

She wandered the streets of Beach City quietly, looking at the different shops, only finding one place that served alcohol. She knew Beach City wasn’t that big, so the small club would have to do. 

She walked across the street, watching cautiously for cars as she neared the tinted glass doors, the neon sign on top spelling out ‘Geode’, in fancy lettering Lapis couldn’t place. 

She placed a hand on the door handle, her finely manicured nails tapping against the metal handle, she pulled the door open. Her ears were filled with music from a band playing in the corner, multicolored lights lit the establishment perfectly. 

She wandered to the bar quietly, taking in the sights, there were people talking and dancing in all corners of the club, waiters walking around and the band playing upbeat music.

“Can I get you something miss?” the bartender asked politely.

“Something strong,” Lapis didn't have a preference.

He gave her a cup filled with a green tinted drink with a yellow umbrella in it. “Enjoy.”

She paid for the drink, leaving a tip for him before she wandered away to find a table. 

Her eyes scanned the room, she stopped dead in her tracks at a familiar head of white blonde hair.

Jasper.

Jasper saw her, her amber eyes widening upon seeing Lapis, they were both tense, not knowing what to do. 

Lapis gathered her courage and walked to the buff woman, who started fiddling with her purse nervously as the bluenette approached her booth.

“Jasper, can we talk?” Lapis asked, silently thanking whatever god was out there that her voice hadn't cracked or stuttered.

“Sure,” Jasper winced, her voice had cracked during her answer, she hadn't been as lucky as Lapis had been.

Lapis sat across from Jasper, setting her drink down on the table. Barely gaining enough confidence to meet the buff woman's eyes.

“I want to apologise.”

They both said the same thing at the same time, they looked surprised at each other.

“For what? I was horrible to you!” Lapis exclaimed, why was Jasper trying to apologise.

“I was horrible too Lapis, I was a total bitch,” Jasper replied.

“You were fighting back Jasper, I thought what my dad was doing to my mom was ok, so I did it to you as well…” she trailed off, what her parents had was abusive, she had been too young to know better, and had abused Jasper like her dad abused her mom.

“But Lapis I abused you too, I literally tried to strangle you.” Jasper argued, looking down, her amber eyes filled with shame.

“I threw the last picture of your mom on the floor!” Lapis sighed, it wasn't going very well.

“You threw it on the floor because I was out with another girl and I made you jealous, I was the whole reason the fight started,” Jasper sighed, “we're not getting anywhere.”

“Not really…” Lapis trailed off.

The following silence was awkward, neither woman looking up from their drinks.

“I'm really sorry Jasper,” Lapis mumbled just loud enough for the buff woman to hear.

“I'm sorry too,” Jasper apologised.

“But we should never date again.”

Jasper chuckled, “Yeah, no more dating” she agreed. “But can we be friends?” Jasper asked.

“Yeah, I think we can be friends.” Lapis smiled at her, raising her glass for a toast. “Let's forget about the past and focus on the future.”

“Here here,” Jasper agreed, clinking their glasses together and taking a sip of her water.

“No alcohol?” Lapis asked.

“No, I'm a lightweight, I get waisted after just a few shots,” Jasper blushed.

“So why do you come here then?” She asked, raising an eyebrow at the blushing woman across from her.

Jasper looked around for a moment before looking back at Lapis. “Look over at the band.”

Lapis did as she was told, looking over at the small band in the corner.

“See the woman with the rainbow colored hair?” 

Lapis nodded, there was a woman on sax who had rainbow colored hair.

“That's Bismuth, she's the reason I come here, I come and listen to her play.”

Lapis smiled, knocking her drink back and setting the glass on the table. 

“So what are you doing back in Beach City? Shooting a movie?” Jasper asked.

“TV show actually, I was cast as Lapis Lazuli in Steven Universe,” she smiled.

“Oh yeah, they're shooting up the hill in the studio, forgot about that, congrats, that's a popular show,” Jasper smiled.

“Thanks.”

The band stopped playing, the lights dimming on their small stage, Bismuth getting up and heading towards the bar.

“And that's my cue, enjoy your night Lapis,” Jasper said, grabbing her purse and making her way towards the bar, leaving Lapis alone in the booth.

The lights on a bigger stage turned on, soft music starting to play, growing in volume slowly. 

A small woman came on stage, pale blonde hair up in a spiky, wild hair style, bright blue eyes shimmering in the stage lights. she was wearing a short green dress that went to her mid thigh, strapless, squeezing her breasts and making them stick out.

Lapis felt blood rushing to her cheeks, her face turning red as her jaw dropped, eyes fixated on the woman. 

She walked out into the middle of the stage, swaying her hips seductively as some cheers filled the club. She bit her lip softly, running her hands down her body, cupping her breasts for a fraction of a second.

Lapis pressed her thighs together tightly, her blush spreading like wildfire.

The blonde danced suggestively, wiggling her hips, twirling, moving the dress down slightly so her nipples almost peeked out.

Lapis was a blushing mess, she had dealt with strippers before, she had even played one in a movie, but this woman was some sort of mythical creature, drawing her in with her seductive dance.

The blonde reached behind her, pulling the zipper of her dress down her back, letting the dress fall, the fabric pooling around her ankles as the crowd cheered.

Lapis grabbed some napkins from the holder on the table, holding them to her nose as it started bleeding.

Some money was being thrown on the stage, Lapis was tempted to throw her entire wallet up there, the woman was stunning, short, full, rosey lips, average sized breasts, Lapis guessed maybe a C cup, and her hips were thick, beautiful.

She wiggled her hips, the crowd cheering, running her hands down her body, playing with the edges garter belt and stockings between her fingers teasingly.

Lapis was blushing dark red, a small pile of bloody tissues beside her with a small cluster of empty cups that she didn't remember drinking.

She stood from her booth, grabbing her current drink and making her way towards the stage, a stumble in her step.

The woman unclipped her bra, releasing her beautiful breasts from their confinement. Lapis cheered loudly for the first time that night, staring at her breasts, some drool starting to drip down her chin.

All too soon the performance was over, and the blonde retreated backstage, taking the dress with her. Lapis wiped the drool from her chin, hoping the woman would come out again before she called it a night.

She sat at the bar beside Jasper, Bismuth now serving drinks behind the bar. Her rainbow hair tied back out of her face.

“What can I get ya?” she asked Lapis, sliding another water over to Jasper.

“Vodka, please,” she requested.

Bismuth made the drink quickly, sliding it over to her with a smile.

Lapis thanked her quietly, taking a small sip, licking her lips as the alcohol burned her throat. Someone sat beside her, she paid them no mind as they ordered their drink. she only took notice when she saw a hand with a familiar skin tone reach for the glass.

She looked over, navy blue eyes widening, a blush appearing across her face, turning tan skin into dark red. 

It was the woman from the stage, the stripper she had been entranced by, her blonde hair combed down slightly, a long sleeve green shirt and dark blue jeans that hugged her legs perfectly.

The blonde looked over at her, her bright blue eyes widening as her own blush spreading across her face. “Y-You’re,” she stuttered out, “Y-You’re, L-Lapis Lazuli!”

“Yes I am, are you a fan?” She asked, she secretly hoped she was, the woman was just stunning.

“Of course I am! Your acting as the ghost mistress in the Deathly Love was amazing! And the way you played that stripper girl turned police officer in Dirty Cuffs was stunning, I was drooling!” The blonde blushed after that. “I can't believe I just said that,” she smacked her forehead.

Lapis giggled, “it's ok, it's very flattering,” she assured.

“Flattering? Really?” Peridot asked.

“Yeah, it's flattering you geeked out over what I do, I'll admit I was drooling over your performance myself,” Lapis added.

Peridot blushed a darker shade of red which Lapis found adorable. “T-Thank you.”

“Sorry to break this up but the bars closin’ up,” Bismuth interrupted.

Lapis looked over, the rainbow haired woman stood beside Jasper, said buff woman leaning on Bismuth’s shoulder lazily.

“Sorry Bismuth,” Peridot apologized.

“Sorry,” Lapis added, getting up from her stool as the smaller blonde woman did the same.

The four women walked out of the bar, Bismuth and Peridot bidding goodbye to each other while Lapis and Jasper just exchanged glances before looking away.

Lapis started walking with Peridot, the two women walking aimlessly through the streets at two in the morning.

“So… What's the deal with you and Jasper?” Peridot asked quietly, almost timid, as if Lapis would scold her like a misbehaving child for asking the question.

“Oh well, we dated in highschool,” Lapis started, her navy eyes trailing to the ground in front of her. “It didn't end very well.”

“Oh? Bad break up?” Peridot asked.

“More like bad relationship,” Lapis sighed. “I was so horrible to her.”

Peridot looked surprised, bright blue eyes wide. “Did you cheat on her?”

“What? No!” Lapis almost felt insulted, she would never cheat on her partner. “I was just young and stupid… I hurt her badly, and she hurt me.”

“Oh…” Peridot trailed off, quietly walking down the street with the blue haired actress. “I’m sure you’re not like that now.”

Lapis smiled, she wasn’t like that anymore, and she would never be like that again. Never again.

~~Jasper and Bismuth~~

 

Jasper and Bismuth walked down the street quietly, hushed voices and laughs escaping them. The street lights illuminating their path, their hair ruffled by the chilly wind of the night.

“You were great tonight,” Jasper complimented happily, shoving her hands into the pockets of her red coat. “Not that you aren’t great every night.”

Bismuth chuckled softly, “Thanks Jasper,” she smiled, her own coat slung over her shoulder lazily, her sleeveless shirt exposing her muscular arms to the cold wind. “Who was that woman you were sitting with?”

“Lapis, remember that old girlfriend I’ve told you about?” Jasper asked.

“Her!?” Bismuth growled.

“Bismuth you need to calm down, it’s ok, we talked things out, we’re just going to be friends, we’re putting all that behind us,” Jasper explained.

“I don’t want to put anything behind me! She hurt you Jasper!” Bismuth yelled.

“I hurt her too, it’s not your choice Bismuth, it’s mine,” Jasper replied.

Bismuth sighed softly, her face relaxing from the twisted expression. “You promise it’s safe? You two won’t hurt each other again?” She asked.

“I promise Bismuth,” Jasper replied, hugging Bismuth tightly, the rainbow haired woman returning the gesture gently. “Come on, let’s get you home before you freeze.”

Bismuth nodded, keeping one arm linked with the taller woman, resuming their walk down the street.

“And put your coat on you weirdo.” Jasper told her, their laughter ringing out into the night.


	3. Warp Tour

Steven stood on set, the show was on a hiatus for airing, the crew didn't like it but it was the networks decision.

Ms Sugar had arranged for them to make shorts to release to the public while the show is off air, it was genius, and that's what they were doing.

The run was good, Steven was exploring the temple, walking through all the rooms while Pearl and Amethyst were “on a mission” they were just off set at the snack table so they weren't actually gone. He didn't know where Garnet was, he hadn't seen her all day.

He walked into the room for the next scene, a small opening at the other side of the room caught his eye when a pale blue thing ran past it in a blur. 

“Huh?” He knew he was off script, but that hadn't been in the script had it? What was that?

He walked towards it silently, he was definitely off the script but his curiosity was way too strong to ignore. He peeked around the corner but he couldn’t see anything, he could hear Ms Sugar call cut and he turned around to look at her. “I’m sorry, I thought I saw something run by,” he apologised.

They had decided to scrap the short, it became a deleted episode sort of thing, internet release only and they had replaced it with a light hearted karaoke short. Garnet had finally shown up and Steven had given her a big hug. The new short was fun and easy to shoot, only took one take to get it right, it was a light but fun day.

They all went for pancakes after work as usual, Ms Sugar watched them go silently, her mind was spinning with thoughts, a new gem was being introduced soon and she hadn't the faintest idea who would play her. There weren't many women named Peridot, and Ms Sugar liked to find actors with names matching the character, made things fun.

She knew there was a Peridot in the city, but she wasn't so sure about hiring a stripper from the local club to play a character in a kids show.

She figured it couldn't hurt to meet the woman.

~~~~2 weeks later~~~~

Steven skipped up to the studio, a wide grin stretched across his face, pearly whites teeth exposed to the world with a chipper 'hello!’.

They were finally going to shoot a new episode, and there had been tell of a new gem! First Lapis and now another new gem, could life get any better!?

He walked through the tall grass following the gems to the warp pad, the makeup artists had painted his face to look like he was having an allergic reaction and added some goop to his nose and eyes, it was gross but he was used to weird goo from the show.

They activated the warp pad and lights surrounded them while the set dressers changed the scene behind them. He could feel something being attached to the harness he was wearing, before he knew it he was floating upwards and out of the light stream that surrounded the warp pad. 

“Careful, it’s dangerous to stick your head out of the stream,” Pearl told him when Garnet pulled him back into the warp stream.

“There’s not much air, and it’s very cold,” Garnet flicked off the bit of ice that the crew put on him so it looked like his snot turned into ice. 

“You guys! I saw something out there!” Steven exclaimed.

“What?” Pearl responded confused.

“Something warping.”

“Steven that’s not possible. Is your vision blurry from the pollen?” She asked.

“I can see perfectly… Pearl? I know there’s something out there!” He exclaimed.

“There’s nothing out there Steven. There hasn’t been anything out there for a long, long time.” Garnet responded, her tone level and stoic like always.

They all went on lunch break after that, Lapis was on set even if she wasn’t in the episode, she was just as excited as the rest of them to meet the new gem. Ms Sugar seemed excited too, the whole thing brought an air of buzzing excitement to the set.

When it came time for the nighttime scene Amethyst got a bit weird. Part of the script had her eating some macaroni cheese and she was not excited about it. She didn’t usually like mac and cheese to begin with (unless Garnet made it but that was homemade with high quality ingredients) but she definitely didn’t like to eat just the powdered cheese out of the packet.

Ms Sugar ended up replacing it with orange rock candy that had been crushed down into powder, Amethyst was much more willing to eat that, and it still got the mac and cheese look to it.

They got the whole scene done in one take, which was unusual for Steven and Amethyst but they were quite proud of themselves for getting it right on the first try.

Garnet ended up making cookies while the nighttime scene was going, which was then added into the morning scene, Amethyst was very happy for Garnets smores cookies, she got one of the pans completely to herself.

The warping scene went by pretty quickly but it was feeling like the whole day was dragging on, everyone was anxious to meet the new cast member.

They finally moved onto the galaxy warp scene, the light around the warp pad dying down as Pearl stepped off.

“These are the warps that once connected us to other planets,” she explained. “If something tried to come through space it would be through here, but wait, this warp pad is broken, marked inactive by the very depressed cartoon breakfast sticker you placed here yourself!” she exclaimed, she sounded frustrated, Steven actually couldn’t tell if it was her acting or if she was really mad at him.

“Look Pearl’s right, as usual,” Amethyst agreed as she walked to Steven and leaned against him with a sigh. “You get used to it.”

Steven jumped slightly when he felt a weight on his head, but relaxed when he realised it was just Garnet’s hand ruffling his hair slightly, he grabbed it gently and looked up at her.

“We’re safe.” She told him in a gentle voice.

“Well… I guess so…” He replied as he touched the sticker on the galaxy warp.

They all sighed in relief behind him. “Ah finally! That took all day!” Amethyst exclaimed.

“It was important to make Steven feel secure,” Garnet explained.

“Yes, Steven feels much better now.” Pearl stated, crossing her arms and closing her eyes as her nose tilted upwards in the air slightly.

“I’m a little tired, of you guys telling me how I feel!” he exclaimed. “I know I saw something outside the stream!”

“And I know you didn’t,” Pearl replied.

They started to talk at the same time, indecipherable talking until Pearl broke through. “Steven, you just don’t know what youre talking about.” Pearl rolled her eyes.

“It sounds like maybe, you don’t know what I’m talking about!” He yelled.

Pearl made a disgruntled noise before Garnet got in the way. “Steven, that’s enough. Let it go.”

The scene ended and they all went for a snack break, Lapis still avoided the meat table like the plague and Amethyst was eating the wonton soup she brought from home, it still surprised Steven and Lapis that Amethyst could be so different from her character in the show in terms of appetite.

Steven and Amethyst shot another night scene, it took a few takes but they got it right and soon he was shooting the warpstream scene. It was weird talking to himself like that, and floating out in the space section was actually a lot more scary than he thought it would be. He was very grateful when Garnet pulled him into a stream. He couldn’t stop tears from rolling down his face as she hugged him to her chest, his breathing rapid and scared.

“Take deep breaths,” She told him, it wasn’t part of the script, but he clung to her and started taking deep breaths.

She held up the little robot and looked at it. “So this is what you saw.”

He looked up at her, he could see the camera over Garnet’s shoulder that was shooting his face for the scene, he probably looked like such a mess. “I don’t care about that!” He exclaimed.

“I do,” She replied. “I should have listened to you,” She told him, running her hand under her visor before smiling at him. “You’re a crystal gem too.”

“Steven!” Pearl exclaimed as she floated up to them. “Are you ok!? Amethyst heard the warp pad activate and Garnet said you were floating outside the stream and wa-” She cut herself off. “what is that?” 

“You don’t know?” Steven asked.

“Woah that thing’s far out,” Amethyst said, pushing Pearl slightly towards Steven.

“It’s some kind of space robot, there were tons of them! And it looked like they were all going to the same place,” He told them.

They warped into the Galaxy warp set where they saw lots of the little robots, communing around the Galaxy warp pad. The one in Garnet’s hand disconnected the leg she held it from and dropped to the ground, limping it’s way over to the others. They were all pouring goop all over the warp pad.

“What are they doing to the Homeworld warp?” Pearl asked.

“There’s a million of them,” Amethyst said.

All the robots backed off the warp pad as the goop solidified over its surface, then disappeared revealing a intact warp pad.

“They fixed it?” Amethyst asked.

“What does that mean?” Steven asked, looking over at Amethyst when Pearl jumped in between them.

“I… don’t know…” Pearl said quietly.

The warp pad activated, Garnet grabbed them all and jumped to one of the pillars, summoning her gauntlet but landing on the little platform to make it look like she was hanging on by her gauntlet and not just them standing on a platform. 

The new gem showed up on the warp pad, facing away from them, her hair was a pale yellow, her skin was painted green and she had some sort of weird legs and arms with floating fingers. 

She stepped on the warp pad a few times experimentally before making a small noise.

“Who is that?” Pearl whispered.

“No idea,” Garnet whispered back.

Four of the floating fingers made some sort of screen before the new gem started to speak. “Log date, 3.1.2. This is Peridot performing Earth hub maintenance check,” She said, her last floating finger messing with stuff on the screen. 

“Peridot, her name is Peridot,” Steven said, though it was a bit louder then the script called for, causing Pearl and Amethyst to slap their hands over his mouth.

“Warp repair success,” They could hear her say. “All seventy-nine flask robonoids deployed and accounted for. Preparing to locate and reactivate kindergard-” she cut herself off with a small noise, the robot Steven accidently broke earlier in the day was at her leg trying to get her attention. 

Steven tried to remember his line but couldn’t, he was usually good with lines but sometimes his memory slipped. “Line?” He looked to Ms. Sugar.

“Damn, I was so in character!” Peridot groaned.

“If it helps you were really good,” Amethyst said, they were all getting off the platform and walking over to the new cast member while Steven went to re-read his lines.

“I was? I’ve never acted before, I was really nervous,” Peridot admitted.

“No need to be nervous, this isn’t a very serious place,” Pearl assured her. 

“Peridot?” 

They all looked over to see a very shocked Lapis Lazuli standing there with a bowl of salad in her street clothes.

“Lapis!” Peridot exclaimed, running up to the blue haired woman.

“I didn’t know you were going to be on the show, welcome,” Lapis greeted.

“You two know each other?” Pearl asked.

“Yes, Lapis and I met when she first came back to town,” Peridot explained.

Lapis and Peridot didn’t mention where Peridot worked or what she did there, Ms. Sugar decided they should take a break so everyone could get to know the new cast member. Lapis took them all out to a nice restaurant in town with really good food. It had taken Peridot a little bit to get adjusted to the fact that the cast was different from how they are on screen, Amethyst being picky with food was the hardest to wrap her head around. 

When they returned to the set they finished the scene pretty quickly, considering Peridot had never acted before they were showering her with praise for how well she did her first time. 

They all went their separate ways, sadly Peridot wouldn’t be on set again for a while, but they were all excited for the release of the episode they had just filmed, warp tour was going to be a great episode.


End file.
